Scott Burton (June 23, 1939 – December 29, 1989) was an American sculptor and performance artist best known for his large-scale furniture sculptures in granite and bronze.
Scott Burton | |
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Born | Greensboro, Alabama | June 23, 1939
Died | December 29, 1989 New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 50)
Education | Washington Workshop Center, Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts |
Alma mater |
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Known for | Public Sculpture |
Early years
editBurton was born in Greensboro, Alabama to Walter Scott Burton Jr. and Hortense Mobley Burton. While Burton was a child, his parents separated and Burton relocated to Washington, DC. with his mother.
Burton began his artistic career at the Washington Workshop Center in Washington D.C. in the mid-1950s under Leon Berkowitz,[1] before progressing to the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Between 1959 and 1962 Burton took classes at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont, George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Harvard University, and Columbia University, where he finally received his bachelor's degree.[2]
In 1963, Burton was awarded a Master's degree in literature from New York University in New York City.[3]
Art career
editDuring his decade-long relationship with the painter John Button in the 1960s, Burton was introduced to the social networks of the art, dance, and theater communities of New York. He came to meet, among others, Edward Albee, Jerome Robbins, Lincoln Kirstein, and Alex Katz.
Throughout the 1960s, Burton attempted to be a playwright and librettist, but in 1965 started writing art criticism. In 1966, he began as an editorial associate at ARTnews, eventually becoming an editor. He wrote a substantial amount of art criticism in the late 1960s in this role, including the introduction to the pivotal exhibition Live in Your Head: When Attitudes Become Form at the Kunsthalle Berne.[4]
Starting in 1969, he began to make performance art, first contributing to the "Street Works" events held in 1969 (and featuring such artists as Vito Acconci and Eduardo Costa). In the late 1960s Burton's work was published in 0 to 9 magazine, an avant-garde journal which experimented with language and meaning-making. Throughout the 1970s, Burton was known mostly as an art critic and performance artist. In 1972, he showed his Group Behavior Tableaux performance at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and went on to stage other tableaux performances at such venues as the Guggenheim, Documenta, and the Berkeley Art Museum. These performances explored nonverbal communication, interpersonal power dynamics, and body language. They were informed by his study of behavioral psychology as well as his participation in the nonverbal signaling of desire in street cruising.[5] During the 1970s, Burton also made other performance works and installations that were explicit in their commitments to gay liberation. For example, in the 1976 exhibition Rooms at P.S.1 in New York, Burton exhibited an installation featuring a fisting dildo and dedicated to "homosexual liberation."[6]
Burton began incorporating furniture into his work as early as 1970, and it would grow from being an active participant in his performances to his main area of output in the 1980s. He first began making sculptures in 1972, but would not exhibit them until his appearance in the Whitney Biennial in 1975 and, later that year, in a solo exhibition at Artists Space, NYC. Much of his earliest work involved subtly modified found furniture. He made his first sculpture by painting a found Queen Anne revival style chair the color of bronze in 1972, and with the help of a grant was able to have it cast in bronze in 1975, when Bronze Chair was shown across the street from Artists Space during his December 1975 exhibition.
Through the remaining 1970s, Burton would continue to create performance art pieces and, increasingly, sculpture. It was public art that caught his imagination, and starting in 1979 he began to reconsider his role as an artist by making works of functional furniture-as-sculpture (pragmatic sculpture, he called it) that were meant to be largely anonymous, invisible, and woven into the fabric of the everyday.
In the 1980s, he became known primarily as a sculptor of refined sculptures of furniture and ambitious and useful interventions in public space.[7] His "tables" and "chairs" challenge the distinction between furniture and sculpture. Two-Part Chairs, Right Angle Version (a Pair), (1983–87), represents this concept aptly. The interlocking granite chairs can found at the Western Washington University Public Sculpture Collection. One version, Two-Part Chair (1986) embeds hidden queer experiences, while also serving as a functional chair. The two parts of the chair are mutually supportive, neither part can stand without the other. As David Getsy has discussed, its two interlocking granite pieces represent two highly abstracted figures, posed in a sexual position.[8] Copper Pedestal Table from 1981 to 1983, in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art, is an example of such a "table". It is as much a minimalist sculpture as it is a table.
One of Burton's primary artistic concerns was the dissolution of aesthetic boundaries, especially the traditional boundary between fine art and utilitarian design. The art historian Robert Rosenblum described Burton as "...singular and unique as a person as he was as an artist. His fiercely laconic work destroyed the boundaries between furniture and sculpture, between private delectation and public use and radically altered the way we see many 20th-century masters, including Gerrit Rietveld and Brâncuși."[9]
Many of Burton's most important public site-specific works are endangered, and some have been destroyed through removal, including the Atrium Furnishment that was designed for the interior of the AXA Equitable Center, 1281 Sixth Avenue, New York.[10] At present, only the exterior elements of the major site-specific work remain. Some components have been re-imagined in other exhibitions as a means to bring attention to the loss of Burton's work.[11]
Death
editBurton died of complications due to AIDS on December 29, 1989, at Cabrini Medical Center in New York City. He was survived by his partner, Jonathan Erlitz, who died in 1998.[9]
Notable works in public collections
edit- Public Table (1978–1979), Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, New Jersey[12]
- Chair (1979), Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, Ohio[13]
- Untitled (Red/Yellow/Blue Cube) (1979–1980), Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles[14]
- Pair of Rock Chairs (1980–1981), Museum of Modern Art, New York[15]
- Aluminum Chair (conceived 1980–1981, fabricated 1981), Museum of Modern Art, New York[16]
- Rock Chair (1981), Philadelphia Museum of Art[17]
- Lava Rock Chair (1981–1982), Los Angeles County Museum of Art[18]
- Asymmetrical Settee (conceived 1982, fabricated 1985–1986), Tate, London[19]
- Pair of One Part Chairs (1983), Hessel Museum of Art, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York[20]
- Two-Part Chairs, Obtuse Angle (A Pair) (1983–1984), Walker Art Center, Minneapolis[21]
- Pair of Two-Part Chairs, Obtuse Angle (1984), Whitney Museum of American Art, New York[22]
- Untitled – half-size Maquette (c. 1985), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.[23]
- Seating for Eight (1985), Art Institute of Chicago[24]
- Settee, Bench, and Balustrade (1985), List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts[25]
- Low Piece (Bench) (conceived 1985, fabricated 1986), Art Institute of Chicago[26]
- Six-Part Seating (conceived 1985, fabricated 1998), National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.[27]
- Sandstone Bench (1986), Des Moines Art Center, Iowa[28]
- Three-Quarter Cube Bench (1986), Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago[29]
- Seat-Leg Table (conceived 1986, fabricated 1991), Walker Art Center, Minneapolis[30]
- Two-Part Chaise Lounge (1986–1987), Philadelphia Museum of Art[31]
- Settee (1986–1987), The Broad, Los Angeles[32]
- Pair of Parallelogram Chairs (1987), Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut[33]
- Two-Part Chairs, Right Angle Version (a Pair) (1987), Western Washington University Public Sculpture Collection, Bellingham[34]
- Two-Part Bench (a pair) (conceived 1987, fabricated 1989), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art[35]
- Rock Settee (1988), National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.[36]
- Rock Settee (1988), National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.[37]
- Bench and Table (conceived 1988, fabricated 1991), Smart Museum of Art, Chicago[38]
- Pair of Steel Chairs (1987–1989), Anderson Collection, Stanford University, Stanford, California[39]
- Bench and Table (1988–1989), Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh[40]
- Bench and Table (1988–1989), Middlebury College Museum of Art, Middlebury, Vermont[41]
- Perforated Metal Settee and Perforated Metal Chairs (1988–1989), Museum of Modern Art, New York[42]
- Bench and Table (conceived 1989, fabricated 1990), The Broad, Los Angeles[43]
- Münster Benches: A Pair (1986–1999), Ulrich Museum Wichita, Kansas[44][45]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Scott Burton Papers in The Museum of Modern Art Archives". Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Retrieved 2021-09-01.
- ^ Columbia College (Columbia University). Office of Alumni Affairs and Development; Columbia College (Columbia University) (1990). Columbia College today. Columbia University Libraries. New York, N.Y. : Columbia College, Office of Alumni Affairs and Development.
- ^ "Scott Burton Papers, Museum of Modern Art". Moma.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ "David Getsy, ed., Scott Burton: Collected Writings on Art and Performance, 1965-1975 (Chicago: Soberscove Press, 2012)". Archived from the original on 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
- ^ Getsy, David (2022). Queer Behavior: Scott Burton and Performance Art. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226817064.
- ^ Getsy, David (2022). Queer Behavior: Scott Burton and Performance Art. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 211–18. ISBN 9780226817064.
- ^ Getsy, David. "Scott Burton's Public Sculptures". Burlington Contemporary.
- ^ Getsy in Jonathan Weinberg; Tyler Cann; Anastasia Kinigopoulo; Drew Sawyer; Christopher Reed; Flavia Rando, eds. (2019). Art after Stonewall : 1969-1989. Columbus Museum of Art. pp. 132–33. ISBN 978-0-8478-6406-5. OCLC 1045161395.
- ^ a b Smith, Roberta (1 January 1990). "Scott Burton, Sculptor Whose Art Verged on Furniture, Is Dead at 50". The New York Times. p. 26. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ "Scott Burton & the Equitable Center".
- ^ "Scott Burton's Atrium Furnishment".
- ^ "Public Table". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Archived from the original on 14 October 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Chair". AMAM. Oberlin College. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Untitled (Red/Yellow/Blue Cube)". MOCA. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Pair of Rock Chairs". MoMA. Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Aluminum Chair". MoMA. Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Rock Chair". PhilaMuseum. Philadelphia Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Lava Rock Chair". LACMA. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Asymmetrical Settee". Tate. Tate. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Pair of One Part Chairs". CCS Bard. Bard College. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Two-Part Chairs, Obtuse Angle (A Pair)". Walker Art. Walker Art Center. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Pair of Two-Part Chairs, Obtuse Angle". Whitney. Whitney Museum of American Art. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Untitled - half-sized Maquette". SAAM. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Seating for Eight". ArtIC. Art Institute of Chicago. 1985. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Settee, Bench, and Balustrade". List Art. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Low Piece (Bench)". ArtIC. Art Institute of Chicago. 1985. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Six-Part Seating". NGA. National Gallery of Art. 1998. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Sandstone Bench". Des Moines Art Center. Des Moines Art Center. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Three-Quarter Cube Bench". MCA Chicago. Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Seat-Leg Table". Walker Art. Walker Art Center. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Two-part Chaise Lounge". PhilaMuseum. Philadelphia Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Settee". The Broad. The Broad. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Pair of Parallelogram Chairs". Yale University Art Gallery. Yale University. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Scott Burton: Two Part Chairs, Right Angle Version (a Pair)". WWU Art. Western Washington University. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Two-Part Bench (a pair)". SFMoMA. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Rock Settee". NGA. National Gallery of Art. 1988. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Rock Settee". NGA. National Gallery of Art. 1988. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Bench and Table". UChicago Arts. University of Chicago. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Pair of Steel Chairs". Anderson Collection. Stanford University. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Chair and Table". CMoA. Carnegie Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Bench and Table". Middlebury College Museum of Art. Middlebury College. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Perforated Metal Settee and Perforated Metal Chairs". MoMA. Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Bench and Table". The Broad. The Broad. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Münster Benches, A Pair". Ulrich Museum of Art. Wichita State University. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Barton School of Business (16 November 2022). "Ernest and Ruth sculpture outside of Woosley Hall". Wichita State University. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
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External links
edit- Scott Burton's Obituary, New York Times, January 1, 1990
- Scott Burton Papers in The MoMA Archives, Museum of Modern Art, New York City
- David J. Getsy, Queer Behavior: Scott Burton and Performance Art (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2022)
- David J. Getsy, ed., Scott Burton: Collected Writings on Art and Performance, 1965-1975 (Chicago: Soberscove Press, 2012 Archived 2020-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
- Scott Burton Collection, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City
- Scott Burton Biography, Tate Modern, London
- Scott Burton at Artcyclopedia